Thursday, February 15, 2018

Rafael A Calvo and Dorian PetersThe Conversation
Originally posted December 12, 2017

Here is an excerpt:

The big questions posed by our digital future sit at the intersection of technology and ethics. This is complex territory that requires input from experts in many different fields if we are to navigate it successfully.

To prepare the report, economists and sociologists researched the effect of technology on disempowered groups. Lawyers considered the future of privacy and justice. Doctors and psychologists examined impacts on physical and mental health. Philosophers unpacked hidden biases and moral questions.

The report suggests all technologies should be guided by five general principles:

protecting human rights

prioritising and employing established metrics for measuring wellbeing

ensuring designers and operators of new technologies are accountable

making processes transparent

minimizing the risks of misuse.

Sticky questions

The report runs the spectrum from practical to more abstract concerns, touching on personal data ownership, autonomous weapons, job displacement and questions like “can decisions made by amoral systems have moral consequences?”

One section deals with a “lack of ownership or responsibility from the tech community”. It points to a divide between how the technology community sees its ethical responsibilities and the broader social concerns raised by public, legal, and professional communities.